Concentrator.



J. S. FINLAY.

CONCENTRATOR. v APPLICATION FILED APR. 15, 1912. 1,080,053. PatentedDeo.2, 1913.

Il HHM-Ei @mM/taboes JOHN' S. FINLAY, OF WALLACE, IDAHO.

CONCENTRATOR.

Specification of Letters Patent.

Patented Dec. 2,1913.

Application led April 15, 1912. Serial No. 690,918.

T0 all whom it may concern Be it known that I, JOHN S. FINLAY, citizenof the United States, residing at Wallace, in the county of Shoshone andState of Idaho, have invented certain new and useful Improvements inConcentrators, of which the following is a specification.

My invention relates to concentrators and has for its object theprovision of a simple and inexpensive device by which the constituentelements of the material to be treated will be separated throughcentrifugal action, and the concentrates and tailings continuously andsimultaneously discharged.

The invention also seeks to combine in a single instrumentality themeans for separating the elements and for discharging the less valuableparticles, while retaining the more valuable.

The invention is fully illustrated in the accompanying` drawings andwill be hereinafter fully described, the novel features beingsubsequently pointed o-ut in the appended claims.

In the drawings: Figure 1 is a sectional elevation of a concentratorembodying my invention. Fig. 2 is an enlarged detailed section of aportion of the drum.

In carrying out my invention, I employ a suitable supporting framewhich, in the present instance, is illustrated as comprising a base 1and a plurality of alined stand-Y ards 2 rising therefrom and equippedwith journal boxes or other form of bearings 3 at their upper ends, inwhich the driving shaft 4 is mounted. This driving shaft is looselymounted in the bearings so that it may not only rotate freely therein,but also be capable of an axial reciprocation, and it is normally heldtoward one end bearing by a spring 5 coiled around the shaft between theopposite end bearing and a stop on the shaft, which is shown as a hub 6carrying a pulley 7 over which a driving belt 8 runs. The pulley isrigid with the shaft so that the spring acting on the hub of the samewill tendto move the shaft away from the adjacent bearing, and in theopposite end bearing I provide an adjustable buffer 9 by which theextent of the reciprocation may be limited. The end of the hub 6,distant from the spring 5, is provided with a series of projections 10,preferably having outer inclined faces and meeting faces disposedparallel to the axis of the hub, so as to present abrupt shoulders. Apulley 11 is ,mounted loosely on the shaft adjacent the pulley 7 and abelt or driving band 12 passes around the said pulley, the hub of whichis provided with projections 13, similar in form to the projections l()on the fast pulley but reversely arranged. The opposite end of the hubof the loose pulley rests against the intermediate journal box 3 so thatthe said loose pulley will be prevented from moving longitudinally ofthe shaft. It will be readily seen that if the loose pulley be heldstationary and motion be imparted to the fast pulley the shaft will berotated, and

the same time the interengaging projections on the opposed ends of thehubs of the two pulleys will cause the fast pulley to move away from theloose pulley against the tension of the spring 5, so as to permit theproject-ions 10 to clear the projections 13. As soon as the projectionshave thus been cleared the spring expands and moves the fast pulley, andthe shaft to which it is secured, toward the loose pulley and a constantreciprocation of the shaft is thus effected. The rapidity of thereciprocation may be determined and varied by holding the loose pulleystationary or by driving the same simultaneously with the fixed pulley,but at a different speed, all of which will be readily understood bythose skilled in the art.

Adjacent the intermediate bearing 3 an annular shoulder or stop 14 isformed on the driving shaft, and beyond the said stop or shoulder theshaft is reduced and equipped with a threaded portion 15 adjacent thesaid stop. The concentrating drum 16 is slipped over the reduced portionof the shaft and the threaded part 15 thereof, so as to rest against thestop 14, and a nut or threaded collar 17 is then turned home against theend of the drum so as to clamp the same securely against the saidshoulder 14E, as clearly shown in Fig. 1. The drum is preferably in theform of a frustum of a cone with its smaller end open and unobstructedto permit feeding into the drum of the material to be treated. Adjacentthe larger end of the drum, which is shown closed so' that it may besecuredl to the driving shaft, a series of radial openings orperforations 18 are formed through the side thereo-f and adjacent thesaid perforations is an internal annular rib 19 whereby a substantiallytriangular settling. chamber or pocket 20 is formed within the drum.

The material to be treated is fed, to* gether with water, through thepipe 21 leading into the drum and discharging adjacent the rib 19, thatis to say, immediately over the pocket 20, the driving shaft having beenset in motion so as to rota-te the drum, as will be understood. Therotation of the drum causes a centrifugal action' within the same, sothat the excess material will be discharged through the larger end ofthe drum, that is-to say, in the illustrated construction, over the rib19. The reciprocation of the shaft simultaneously with its rotation willcause the concentrates held to the inner surface of the drum by' thecentrifugal force to How upwardly fromthe pocket 20 over the inclineddressing surface 22, extending from the l surface of the material withinthe pocket 2O to the open smaller end of the drum, and if the nature ofthe material del mands further cleaning, a perforated water pipe 231 maybe arranged to discharge a spray over the said dressing surface, asclearly shown. `While this dressing surface is illustrated as beingsmooth, it will be unstood that it may be riiii'ed or grooved as may bemost desirable for any particular conditions under which theconcentrator is operated.

The operation of the device is thought to be obvious froml the foregoingdescription, taken4 in connection with the accompanying drawings.

As the' drum is rotated the lighter material or tailings and the waterare thrown over the retaining rib 19, and pass out through theperforations 18, while the concentrates are gradually worked toward' thesmaller end of the drum, from which they pass and may be caught in anyconvenient receptacle or otherwise treated. The par; tic'ular means foreffect-ing the reciprocation of the driving shaft is not essential, butit is desirable that the speed of revolution and of reciprocation beeasily adjusted and for that reason I prefer the fast and loose pulleyshaving the interchangnig opposed faces, as shown and described.

My device is exceedingly simple in its con-A struction so that it may bemanufactured at a slight cost and is not liable to get out of orderwhile in' use, and when in operation will continuously discharge thetailings and concentrates so that the separation of the particles willbe effected rapidly and easily.

Having thus described my invention, what VI claim as new is:

I 1. A concentrator including a horizontally disposed shaft, means forsimultaneously rotating and reciprocating said shaft, a frustoconicaldrum having an integral closure at its larger end and open at itssmaller end axially' mounted on said shaft for movement therewith andwholly unsupported and interiorly unobstructed save by said shaft, anannular rib formed integrally with and' in-, teriorly of the drum and inslightly' spaced relation to the closed endY thereof to* provide uponone side in connection with the drum an annular treatment chambertriangular in section and upon its other side in connection with thedrum and closed end thereof an annular discharge chamber, the bottom` ofwhich is inclined at the same angle as the bottom' of the treatment chamber, "bein'g' in fact a continuation thereof, the bottom of saiddischarge chamber being provided intermediate of its width with aplurality of circumferentially spaced lapart radially directed dischargepassages, and means for separately delivering pulp and water to theinside of the drum.

2'. A concentrator including spaced bearings, a shaft journaled in saidbearings and mounted for free rot-ary and reciprocatory movementtherein, means for limiting the reciprocation of said shaft, a drummounted upon said shaft and for movement therewith, and means forrotating and reciprocating said drain, said means including a pulleyloosely mounted on the shaft and seating by one side against one of thebearings, the opposite side of said pulley being provided withcircumferentially disposed inclined teeth, a second pulley keyeduponsaid shaft adone sidel with opposite'ly formed circumferentiallyextending inclined teeth adapted to co-act with the teeth of the firstpulley, a coiled spring surrounding the shaft and bearing between saidseco-'nd pulley and another of the shaftl bearings to normally hold thepulleys in engagemeiit with each other, means for applying power to oneof said pulleys, and means for applying power to the other of saidpulleys.

3'. A concentrator including ahorizontally disposed shaft, means forsimultaneously rotating and reciprocating said shaft, a frustoeconicaldrum closed at its larger end and opening at its smaller end axiallymounted on said shaft for movement therewith and wholly unsupported andinteriorly unobstructed save by said shaft, an annular rib form-edinteriorly of the drum and in slightly spa-ced relation to the closedend thereof to provide upon one side in connection with the drum anannular treatment jacent the first pulley and provided upon chambertriangular in section and upon its other side in connection With thedrum and closed end thereof an annular discharge Y chamber, the bottomof Which is inclined at apart radially directed discharge passages, 10

and means for separately delivering pulp and Water to the inside of thedrum.

In testimony whereof I atix my signature in presence of two Witnesses.

JOHN S. FINLAY. [L. s] Witnesses:

C. C. SAMUELS, J. O. ELTON.

Copies of this patent may be obtained for ve cents each, by addressingthe Commissioner of Patents, Washington, D. C.

